Joey’s Take: Tone Deaf

My breed reportedly has the largest vocal range of any dog. Yes, I can whimper like a baby, whine like a 5-year-old, sass like an adolescent, growl like a 20-year-old and grumble like an old man. While all these skills will come in useful in Congress, I have an even greater talent: I listen.

That’s a talent our current leadership really should master. But alas, the POR Trio remains tone deaf. Instead of listening to the people, Pelosi insists on playing her own shrill melody while Reid belts out a very flat bass and Obama keeps changing the words while conducting the same old song.

But rather than admit it’s not in tune with the people, the trio – like any good prima donna – and its groupies insist that the discord is not theirs. Rather, all the missed notes are the fault of the previous conductor. Or the fault of the background singers. And the lack of appreciation is definitely the fault of an ignorant audience that just can’t understand the nuances of the music being performed.

This tone deafness spoils any piece the POR Trio tries to deliver and makes the group misread its own press. Trained in arrogance, the POR Trio hears the shouts of the audience as applause while ignoring any negative reviews.

Take the Massachusetts Senate race. While the audience hears Scott Brown’s victory as a countermelody rising across the nation, the PORs will pass it off as simply a lack of talent on Martha Coakley’s part. Meanwhile, the PORs drone on – off beat and out of tune.

I’m Joey. I’m a howling rock star. And I’m running for Congress. I approved every note of this message.

Looking for a Contender

Despite all the doomsday predictions foretelling the death of the Republican Party, the GOP actually has a good shot at reclaiming several important congressional seats next year. That is if it recruits credible contenders rather than embracing whomever shows up or letting weak Democrats go unchallenged.

Take the Nevada U.S. Senate seat, for instance. Harry Reid, Senate majority leader and, thus, titular head of all Senate Democrats, is asking to be taken out as he is no longer seen as the champion of Nevada. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports his favorable rating in the state is at 32 percent and his unfavorable rating at 51 percent. According to the newspaper's poll, Reid has fewer fans in Nevada than President Bush and even Rush Limbaugh!

But despite this news, no Republican has stepped forward yet to challenge Reid's Senate seat. Why? The most likely candidates have their eyes on the governor's mansion. And no one is eager to battle Reid who is infamous for his no-holds-barred campaign tactics.

Even though Reid is in no shape for a well-fought campaign, the most prominent Nevadan Republicans have jaws of glass. A few of them have actually contributed to Reid. Some of the problems they face? Criminal charges of recruiting and hiring undocumented workers. Accusations of pocketing money intended for nonprofit projects. Conflicts of interest, including a state senator whose day job is as a paid lobbyist to the Legislature.

But Nevada is not without its contenders. Tim Cushman, the third generation of a family that helped punch Nevada out of the dessert, is pro-business, understands the challenges facing Nevada and has kept his nose out of politics. He could be formidable in the ring if he could be persuaded to don the Repulican mantle.

Or there's state Sen. Barbara Cegavske, a small business owner who entered the political arena on the school board level when she became concerned about the education her sons weren't getting. Her family is grown now, and Barbara, from all reports, has proved she can go toe-to-toe with the meanest without becoming a closet bone collector.

If the Republicans are to regain seats in Nevada or elsewhere, the local and national committees have to do some scouting, start recruiting the brightest and best, and then dig into their pockets to give these candidates a fighting chance. Only then will they hush the naysayers and start building the excitement they will need to retake the White House in 2012.